Can I handle an engine rebuild?

Rosie

New Member
Hey there, my husband and I are a couple of wrench turners who can change brakes, cables, etc. but my 1976 CB360T is burning a lot of oil and we think it's a bad o-ring.
Are a couple of amateurs ready to disassemble a crusty old engine or is it more than likely going to end up a loss?
We're smart but we've never worked on an engine. Just wanted to hear from the group about how successful you've been with working on old engines.
 
Go for it, 70s Hondas are fairly simple, get a Honda manual and check spares availability before you start pulling it apart. If it's burning a lot of oil it probably needs a rebore, new pistons and rings, probably valve stem seals as well, find out the cost of these before you start, as the parts may be more than you want to spend on the bike, remember to factor in the cost of gaskets and it's almost guaranteed to need new engine mounting rubbers.

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Buy a junk old lawnmower for $20 on Craigslist and rebuild that. Learn the basics.

One of the real hold ups can be tools. Do you already own all the needed tools to do a job like this? If not, do you have the money to buy them?

It certainly CAN be done. Just be prepared.
 
The 360 is a great bike to work on as it's fairly simple. You will definitely want a manual and check prices of parts first. Some of the more special tools (valve spring compressor, cylinder hone, impact driver) can be rented for free at AdvanceAuto, AutoZone, O'riley.
 
Rosie said:
Hey there, my husband and I are a couple of wrench turners who can change brakes, cables, etc. but my 1976 CB360T is burning a lot of oil and we think it's a bad o-ring.
Are a couple of amateurs ready to disassemble a crusty old engine or is it more than likely going to end up a loss?
We're smart but we've never worked on an engine. Just wanted to hear from the group about how successful you've been with working on old engines.

Yes you can do it , I have done it 3 times on same 360t engine ,even split the 2 halves crankcase unneccessary runs now with still low compression on one side lack of finding a local guy to hone cylinders up 25 thou. Timing chain like new , apart from left cylinder bore slightly worn rest of engine good condition ,grind valve seats in easy
Keep buying plenty of metric tools
Good luck Keith


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Absolutely. Take your time and be methodical. Use a Factory Service manual. You don't need many expensive tools. Valve spring compressors are available on ebay. Oil slinger socket is cheap. To get the alternator rotor off you can use the rear axle.

Burning oil could be a bunch of things and most likely a piston ring or bad valve oil seals.

Or it could just be too much oil in the transmission/motor. It's a simple motor, but there are things you can screw up, so take your time and if you run into a problem, do not reach for a BFH until told specifically where to apply it.

I would start with a compression test. Borrow a decent tester from Advanced or OReilly. DO not buy one form HF or a cheap ebay one. They lie.
 
Yep just like the guys say, buy or DL the shop manual and build the parts list before you start, YouTube is a good place to learn about the timing chain tensioner... you will need to replace any wear parts on that system for sure. Gasket sets are not all created equal I like this Athena kit: not sure it comes with intake valve seals but you need those as well.

Someone here who recently took one down might help with a outside of the box tool list but most likely with just a top end refresh and service you'll not need much more than the flywheel puller and oil slinger socket an inch lb. torque wrench and some beer.

As the add says... Just Do It!

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You can do it. Keep everything including your work area super clean. Take pictures before and after disassembly. I use Ziploc bags to hold small parts and hardware, larger containers for major assemblies.
 
360s are the easiest four stroke engine I've worked on.

+1 to what everyone else is saying.

This is the type of spring compessor you'll want: http://www.ebay.com/itm/252856591363

And this is the tool for the oil "filter": http://www.common-motor.com/honda-cb-oil-filter-tool?_vsrefdom=googlemerchant&ex=1ht096p-20htem6-olg8o&gclid=Cj0KEQjwo-XIBRCOycL7hsuI_NoBEiQAuS6HtBGa0QLuBld6U3mfu-697L0SEWwHYq_IZutjwJJc8bgaAvRW8P8HAQ

Torque wrench will be necessary for getting the head back on, but 10mm, 12mm, and 14mm sockets should cover everything. Impact driver for the cases, probably.
 
Its pritty simple and straightforward. Took my cl360 engine apart, cleaned and ready for assembly in total of 3 ish hrs. hrs. With a basic set of spckets and a ratchet, oh and a runber malet to split the cases.
 
sorry for jacking the thread, but does anyone have any tips for getting the screws out of the engine? my cl360 uses mostly screws on the outside. I've purchased the proper japanese screwdrivers but they still strip out.
 
Impact driver is a must-have tool for that job.

On rare occasions, I've had to drill the head from the screw.
 
djsmiles said:
sorry for jacking the thread, but does anyone have any tips for getting the screws out of the engine? my cl360 uses mostly screws on the outside. I've purchased the proper japanese screwdrivers but they still strip out.
Best tool ever
impactdriver.jpg
 
djsmiles said:
What is that?

A manual impact driver

https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-2905-8-Inch-Manual-7-Piece/dp/B000NPPATS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496893485&sr=8-1&keywords=hammer+impact+driver
 
irk miller said:
A manual impact driver

https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-2905-8-Inch-Manual-7-Piece/dp/B000NPPATS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496893485&sr=8-1&keywords=hammer+impact+driver
Cool, thanks!


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I got the motor in the frame but found a gap between the motor and the motor mount. Can someone tell me what I'm missing here?


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djsmiles said:
I got the motor in the frame but found a gap between the motor and the motor mount. Can someone tell me what I'm missing here?


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#3 in the pic.
honda-cb360-sport-1974-usa-frame_bighu0231f9025_6ee6.gif
 
Only just found this thread from your post in 360 re-build help .I try to 'keep an eye' on all the 360 threads but always miss a few.
You got new cam chain tensioner 'horse-shoe' sorted out. How did engine re-build go? Most common cause of oil burning on 360's is valve guide seals, very few have high enough mileage for rings to be worn, I wouldn't expect ring wear below 30,000 miles
 
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